Could there be a silver lining in losing your job?
A recent survey concluded that 61% of present workers plan on looking for a new job when the recession ends.
So if you happen to be the recipient of a pink slip, perhaps you should view this as an opportunity to re-evaluate your career goals, do some exploring and discover new career paths that bring the enjoyment and excitement back to your working life.
Our entrepreneur of the month did just that. He was helped through his transition by a colleague of mine and his story was posted on AnnAbor.com. It is so typical of the success of our "discovery" process, that I wanted to share it with you.
Congratulations Alan and welcome to the world of entrepreneurship!
Alan Caldwell and Sheila Doeden
Photo by Kim Shell
Booted out of Ford Motor Co. - life one year later working in health care Posted: 11:20 a.m. February 16, 2010 on AnnArbor.com
One year ago tomorrow, I was "involuntarily separated" from my job at Ford Motor Credit. I had 22 years of service under my belt at Ford Motor Co. and its subsidiary Ford Motor Credit Co. I was not surprised by the notice, although it was certainly not welcome news. My department had 14 mid-level managers five years earlier, and by February 2009 we were down to six. Then with the announcements, there were only three left behind, as I was walked out the door with two others.
I could not have imagined where I'd be one year later - and to be more specific, how happy I'd be. I am incredibly pleased with my new career, owning a home care business. If Ford asked me today to come back, with a big raise, I would very quickly say, "No thanks." It's not that I disliked Ford or my job there. In fact, I always liked working at Ford. But it was always just a job; deep down it wasn't meaningful to me.
I was fairly certain I'd be let go, and I figured I'd need to find another corporate job, probably out of state. However, the morning after I lost my job, I met Kendra Kerr, a business coach with The Entrepreneur's Source. I worked with Kendra over the next several weeks, as she helped me explore start-my-own-business opportunities. At the same time, I updated my resume and even applied for three corporate jobs. Every time I thought of getting another big-company job, it felt completely wrong. Starting out on my own, and doing something I really valued - that got me excited! I decided to invest my severance money (and retirement funds) not in the financial market, but in myself! It quickly became clear that home care was the right fit for me. My wife Joan is a 12-year, three-time breast cancer survivor. She has been through some tough times, and I'm very proud of her. As her primary caregiver, I've learned about the importance of quality caregiving. With this personal interest, I became educated about in-home care opportunities. In early April I committed to opening a new home care business, Senior Helpers. Home care is health care in its simplest, most basic form. It's helping people stay in their home, helping them manage their "activities of daily living," such as bathing, dressing, meal preparation, mobility, and providing companionship. It's incredibly, amazingly rewarding! I absolutely love this business. Talking with the families and our clients, providing a much needed service, helping people with their lives - it's a real privilege. I was very fortunate to find a wonderful Client Service Manager, Sheila Doeden, who has a wealth of home care experience and more importantly, a real passion for the business. Adding in my business and management background, Sheila and I are successfully growing our company. We have 53 caregivers on staff, and we've hired an Office Administrator. We're not quite to break-even, but we'll get there soon, and I'm confident we'll continue to grow. But this venture is really not about making money - it's about making a living providing a great service that we feel really good about. And it's about finding your passion, and loving what you do!
Alan Caldwell is the owner of Senior Helpers, providing in-home care services, primarily to the elderly. He can be contacted at acaldwell@seniorhelpers.com, or at 734-927-3111.
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Alan used the event of his unemployment as a trigger to explore new career options and discover his passion. He found his "silver lining."
If you are in a career transition, I hope you'll use this time as a gift to evaluate what is really important to you, to make new friendships and explore all your career options. If you're still working but like so many, don't enjoy your job, don't wait for the pink slip. Give yourself the opportunity to learn and explore your options and possibilities.
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